The 4 Tenets of a Civil Engineering Career 👷

When I stepped into the professional world out of school, I thought I had it all figured out.

I had my degree. I'd work in a specific discipline of civil engineering. And I’d be doing a specific type of work. Little did I know…

Civil engineering is NOT this linear career path we think it is.

This week, I have four big pieces of career advice I wish I had received when I first got into the civil engineering workforce. 💡

If you're early on in your journey (less than 10-15 years of experience), please, read this. You’ll thank me later. 😉 👇

1. You Still Know Nothing After School (Sorry! 😅)

I know. This one hurts.

Especially after surviving all that coursework, pulling all-nighters, doing your capstone projects, and all the jazz. But…

The harsh truth is…

Getting your civil engineering degree is just half of the battle.

While school gives you a solid theoretical foundation to design and build things, actually applying all that in the real world is a whole nother story — and you haven’t learned it yet.

Here’s what Dirk Bondy , a Structural Engineer, lecturer at the University of California, and post-tensioned concrete expert, said in our interview… 👇

He graduated from UC Berkeley thinking he was “hot stuff”...only to quickly learn “how much I didn’t know.” (His own words, not mine. 😅)

So, the other half of the battle is getting hands-on experience with your boots on the ground (or in the office).

You’ve got to do (a bunch of) things.

You’ve got to face problems you don’t know how to solve.

You’ve got to face questions you don’t know how to answer.

Think of that degree on your wall or shelf right now as your license to start learning…not proof that you already know anything.

And then, think of those early years in your career as “learning years.”

That’s why your paycheck early on does not compare to your fellow engineers’ (yet!)

The civil engineering journey takes time before you become a well-rounded engineer with both theoretical and practical knowledge.

That’s when you see results, and how much civil engineers really make!

So, do not obsess over how much you’re going to make immediately after school. Believe me, this number will go up.

Rather, obsess over your approach to the work and your dedication to your career.

This phase is all about building your skills…in the real-world.

Once that’s done, all that experience makes you a civil engineer all firms want on staff — and would be happy to pay for. 😉

2. Work is Nothing Like School ❌

Simply put, what you do in your civil engineering job is a far cry from your school days.

Now, I’m not saying all that math and technical content is useless. Don’t get me wrong. 😅

In fact, I’ve already covered a study that showed that even the most non-technical civil engineers in C-level and leadership positions know their stuff more than anybody else.

However…

Out there in the real world…

The tasks you do are way less math-intensive.

Instead, they’re way more about problem-solving, the application of engineering principles, working with people, and managing projects.

While you zoomed in on your technical knowledge in school, crunched numbers, and solved practice problems, in the real world….

You’ll find yourself doing non-technical tasks every day that you never thought of doing while in school.

This includes:

• Writing emails
• Giving presentations
• Running meetings
• Writing proposals
• Managing teams
• Handling client feedback/complaints
• And more!

These are all things you didn’t do as much in school…but will need for the job. 😅

This means those soft and people skills play a role just as big as your technical knowledge in shaping your career.

Your Major Doesn’t Define Your Career 💼

“Civil engineering” isn’t a single job. It’s actually a broad term that defines pretty much everything related to the built environment.

It’s a massive field with a lot of career paths within it.

Believe me, many of which you’d never think is even possible for a civil engineer to get into. 😅

So, consider all the fields civil engineering has to offer.

That is, all the possible avenues you could branch out on, regardless of your experience in the classroom, early interests, or even what you did in your first few years of work.

And most importantly, regardless of whether or not these avenues look like “what a civil engineer would do.”

The expression in itself is flawed. Why? 🤔

Even if you’re not the civil engineer actually building the thing, you’re probably the civil engineer designing it.

If not, then you can be the civil engineer behind the creation of the software the engineers used to design it.

If not, maybe you’re the civil engineer who’s also the professor who taught the other engineers how to design stuff or use the software.

And so on. (You get the idea. 😅)

The thing is…

It’s not uncommon to take a different direction as you gain experience.

I always say this: you don’t know what you don’t know.

As you gain more experience and see different things, you’ll start to see different routes you could take based on what you know and what you want out of your life.

The traditional disciplines are not the only things you can do!

Here’s proof… 👇

• Rebecca Miller went from Structural Engineer to Technical Trainer at RISA.
• Luke Rowley got into the solar energy industry as a civil engineer
• Stefanie Reichman went from Construction to Customer Success Manager at BlueBeam
• Lindsay O’Leary went from civil engineer to Managing Director at the ASCE
• John Pitts is a civil engineer building buildings overseas for the US Department of State

So, stay open to new paths and explore opportunities as they come.

Civil engineering offers a wide range of areas to dive into. A lot of them you’re not even aware of. 😉

There's More to It Than Salary — Here’s Three 3️⃣

I’m not gonna lie to you. 👇

Entry-level salaries in civil engineering may not stack up to some other fields as we’d like, but…

If you look closely…

We do have a few benefits that other disciplines don’t have that weight just as much as salaries (if not more!). 👇

1) Job Availability

Can you name a single city in which infrastructure projects, housing, roads, sewers, stormwater management, or any other type of work civil engineers do…is not needed? 🤔

Exactly!

Civil engineering is needed everywhere. No matter how big or small the city is.

The only difference happens in the scope, magnitude, and dollar amount of the projects. But hey…the work is still available. 😅

This means you’ll probably always have a job as a civil engineer (or be able to find one), no matter where you are in the country.

You can work closer to home, or even relocate to another state if you want to leave your hometown and find a civil engineering job there. 😉

That’s what CEA alumni Hannah Copeman did. She wanted to work with seismic design, so she moved from the East all the way to California to work as a Structural Engineer there, and passed her Structural PE Exam with the help of The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course. 🌉

2) Job Perks

Not only are jobs available quite often in civil engineering, but a lot of them also offer solid benefits in addition to your paycheck.

This may include not only bonuses and profit-sharing opportunities, but also health insurance, 401(k) match, and more.

The piece of mind that comes with having those benefits makes the profession…in simple words…awesome!

These benefits are so real that CEA alumni Matt Fanghella, who was on his way to become a doctor, left the pre-med track to get his civil engineering degree. 👇

3) Entrepreneurial Opportunities

Who said that working at a company was all you could do as a civil engineer? 🤔

After you pass your exams and become a licensed P.E., civil engineers have the opportunity to venture out and start their own companies using their knowledge and past work experience.

This is very hard to do in other branches of engineering.

Again, more proof… 👇

• Scott Wible started his own structural engineering firm, Wible Engineering
• Michael Bempah started his construction firm, PinPoint Engineering
• Bob Brown started, grew, and sold his foundation inspection company
• Sam Lytle built and sold Civil FX, bringing 3D visualization to engineering projects
• Ricky McLain started his own Mass Timber consulting business

If you’ve ever felt that entrepreneurial itch and have already considered starting your own engineering business, civil engineering allows you to do that...easily. 👍

Civil Engineering is a Journey! 🛣️

These are the four main career lessons I’ve learned in my own journey, as well as listening to the journeys of more than 255 engineers who’ve been on The Civil Engineering Academy Podcast.

And the key takeaway? 🤔

Civil Engineering is a long, rewarding journey!

Focus on these four tenets we just shared with you, do the work, pass the FE and PE exams, and keep your eyes open to new opportunities that may come your way. 😉

If you want more tips like this to help you crush your exams and boost your career, then follow Civil Engineering Academy to check out every resource and helpful content we create for you. 👍